Early life and career

Born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1938, McDonnell is the son of McDonnell Aircraft founder James Smith McDonnell. McDonnell completed his Bachelor's in aeronautical engineering at Princeton University in 1960. After marrying his wife Anne in 1961, McDonnell began working for MAC as a strength engineer on Project Gemini the following year. After McDonnell became Chairman in 1988, he helped create the newsmagazine 90 Days as a way to keep employees and shareholders abreast of what was going on in McDonnell Douglas.

After McDonnell Douglas and Boeing merged in 1997, McDonnell himself held the title of largest individual shareholder in the combined company in March 2003. In addition to his continued involvement with Boeing, he is also a director of BJC HealthCare, chairman of the board of Barnes-Jewish Hospital and vice chairman of the board of Washington University. McDonnell is also a lifetime trustee of the St. Louis Science Center. In 2006, McDonnell and the JSM Charitable Trust endowed $10 million to Washington University for the creation of the McDonnell...Read More